4 Reasons to avoid processed foods

Michele Borboa, MS is a freelance writer and editor specializing in health, fitness, food, lifestyle, and pets. Michele is a health and wellness expert, personal chef, cookbook author, and pet-lover based in Bozeman, Montana. She is also...

The list of reasons to eat fresh, whole foods instead of processed foods is long. Here are just four reasons to avoid processed foods from 25 Amazing Facts About Food, a new (free) download from Mike Adams, editor of NaturalNews.com.

The list of reasons to eat fresh, whole foods instead of processed foods is long. However, sometimes it takes just a few specific reasons to convince you to eat as close to nature as possible. Here are four reasons from 25 Amazing Facts About Food, a new (free) download from Mike Adams, editor of NaturalNews.com.

The list of reasons to eat fresh, whole foods instead of processed foods is long. However, sometimes it takes just a few specific reasons to convince you to eat as close to nature as possible. Here are four reasons from 25 Amazing Facts About Food, a new (free) download from Mike Adams, editor of NaturalNews.com.

4 Reasons to avoid processed foods

1. High fructose corn syrup, mercury, oh my

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a sweetener found in nearly all packaged foods in the US. In addition to HFCS being linked to diabetes and obesity, Adams warns that empty calories aren't the only thing to fear. The natural health expert explains that HFCS is made with toxic chemicals that can irritate the lungs, eyes, throat, and head. To add to the health dangers, the production of HFCS increases the level of mercury in the food products that contain HFCS.

2. Just Asian beetle desserts

If you've been munching candy that is made with confectioners glaze, pure food glaze, or natural glaze, you may also be munching on the bodily excretions of an Asian beetle. Adams says, "It's the same ingredient as shellac...a chemical secreted by female lac bugs...extracted by scraping bark, bugs, and (bug) tunnels off of trees in Asian forests." He adds that instead of shellac, some food producers use a corn protein called zein.

3. Beware of Yellow #5

The artificial food coloring tartrazine, also known as Yellow 5 or E102, has been linked to asthma, migraines, and even cancer. Further, Adams points to a landmark study conducted by the UK Food Standards Agency that this food coloring, which is found in cheese-flavored products, pickles, sodas, and many other foods, has also been linked to childhood hyperactivity. Tartrazine is derived from coal tar (industrial waste), yet the US doesn't ban the coloring nor even carry a warning on food packaging. You already read labels to avoid non-vegan ingredients -- add Yellow 5 to the list.

4. Mad cow disease contamination

According to Adams, the factory farming practices of feeding animals the nervous system tissue of other animals, such as feeding cows the nervous system tissues of other cows, has created the mad cow crisis. Chicken, farmed fish, and any other kind of meat may contain mad cow prions because they may be fed contaiminated tissues. Adams writes, "Avoiding meat is the only reliable way to protect yourself." Aren't ya glad you're vegan?

Adams' 25 Amazing Facts About Food doesn't just shed light on terrible food toxins, it also provides helpful healthy facts about foods you eat every day (or should be eating). Download your copy here.